NEW PRODUCTS!!!! OUT NOW

that's it? i think i have a headache...

maybe more to come?? let's see.

I have a picture up here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3988615&l=b95cc50...

or you can join the Roland SH-01 user/owners group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=103133569723467

It's (almost) exactly how I described I would want the JP-8000 to be in 2010. Looks like Roland listened on that part to what I had to say... I'm most likely to own one of these asap.

Unfortunatly, no new ARX released... maybe at winter's NAMM..............
The only ARX I would buy is something like a VA ARX, so it didn't make much of a difference to me. =)

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr~~! hahahaha. oh well.

Yes, that new white baby is super cool, I am telling you!

Only 3 octaves (EDIT: for the GAIA SH-01)? I find my JP-8000 with its 4 octaves just a bit limiting at times, but three? Is there no one left who actually plays or is everybody just programming and looping these days? It looks kinda interesting otherwise but of course the main question is: what does it sound like?

Did they have Casio design the Lucia for them?

EDIT: Clarified that I was referring to the GAIA SH-01 with regard to the 3 octaves.

After AX-Synth, most of the people who plays at keytar wanna something smaller.
This is the kind of keytar or going to stage an play solo, not standing behind, with the keytar on a spider with a fantom-g ))
Those "toys" are made for showing off not backstage players

I was referring to the GAIA SH01 with regard to the 3 octaves.

And I'm not sure I'd want to 'show off' with the Lucia as it screams Casio. The regular AX-Synth maybe as I do kinda like Keytars (I used to want one as a kid) but it still looks kinda dorky imho.

Arjan, trust me the SH-01 is very nice to play with the 3 octaves. There is a certain sexiness to it that 4 octaves would not have.

@Artemiy: Sorry, but I must disagree. Why? Wth is more important? Shininess or the music? When I'm on stage, my intention is not to pose for the public with my shiny high glossy toy but to make good music that works - for me and the public. For making good music I need good instruments, therefore it's absolute uninteresting if my board looks like a progeny of the makers of the overhyped iPhone with additional white piano laquer finish (just because apple dictates the "trend" that everything has to be white with piano laquer finish - terrible).

Why should an instrument be build by the requirement "sexiness"? "Nearly unusable, but super sexy - technically backward but sexy".
Imho the trend that appearance more and more outranks the essence is horrible.

This toys are good for "fashion shows" with young chicks hopping on the stage, apart from the fact, that these "innovations" are not really new and innovative, just incarnations of any incarnations. So what?

No hard feelings
tastenmann

no new arx - I can understand that they did not finish make it, but al least announce about the plans for the extension cards - we are waiting too long...
the same for the fantom g os.

@tastenmann:

SH-01 was designed as a very portable unit first and foremost. That's why it has battery power as an option. This has nothing to do directly with appearance over playability, it's rather portability/size/weight vs. playability.

SH-01 Gaia:

Everyone into analog-style synths should dig this. Roland traditionally does two oscillator analog-modeling synth engines -- the SH-01 departs from this and has three oscillators. Each waveform on each oscillator has multiple variations. And you can run up to six multi-effects at the same time. 64-note polyphony as well. Plus, USB storage on board, USB audio / MIDI interface, polyphonic arpeggiator and you can record your own arpeggiations AND automation and save those with each patch, similarly to the JP-8080. The SH-201 has been very popular but we had incredible demand to ramp up the next SH to a more pro-level. So we did that plus adding a lot more features, adding battery power and keeping it at an SH-201 price point.

Main thing -- it sounds HUGE. I have a proto type and will begin posting videos on it in more detail.

Lucina AX-09:

This is a cross over piece for both the consumer and prosumer-market. Again, the AX-Synth has been incredibly successful -- so much so we can't make them fast enough. We received many requests for a smaller scale AX shoulder synth that would have a smaller footprint. It's built like a rock, incorporates the AX engine along with SuperNATURAL sounds and is very inexpensive. Lucina will open up this kind of instrument to a wider array of players. It's OK for Roland to make fun stuff and that's what this and the Gaia are about.

Side note: Gaia (pronounced "Guy-ah") and Lucina are named after Grecian Goddess of creation and creativity.